I was in a band, but you never were a fan

As I've mentioned before, I'm worried I won't like Matt Willis's whole debut album--the non-singles I've heard off of it haven't blown me away, though they've been good. However, I love "Up All Night" and "Hey Kid;" "Up All Night" is definitely my favorite of the two, but "Hey Kid"--released this week--is great as well. I think I remember Matt describing his sound as "stadium rock," but I don't think that's quite right--it's pop that wants to be stadium rock, or pop stealing shamelessly from stadium rock, but whatever it is, it's fun. Since "Hey Kid" has just been released and I don't want Matt to be dropped, I'm not going to post it, but instead a Matt song that I might (depending on the day) like even more than "Hey Kid".

Rock Ya--this is a B-side to "Up All Night," and when I first heard it, I was really surprised--it's great quality for a B-side. As a warning, if you don't like Matt's singles so far, you probably won't like this song--it's in a very similar style. The chorus is great, with its drumroll leading up to an overemphasized syllable practically shouted by Matt, and the verses and the bridge work well, building and putting you in almost complete pop-rock overload. For a while, you're left wondering why it's called "Rock Ya," although Matt does finally get around to using that phrase in the middle 8; when the chorus returns after that, the phrase gets carried over into it, giving the song that extra boost it needs to carry you along to the end. I don't think I can understand half of what Matt is saying here, but that doesn't seem to harm the song; it might actually improve it, since the lack of clear lyrics (and the silliness of the lyrics when you can understand them--"I said I like your tan"?) makes it clear the song is all about getting caught up in the fun of the music, not listening to any supposed message.

You can buy "Rock Ya" digitally here or physically on the "Up All Night" single here; Matt Willis's most recent single, "Hey Kid" can be purchased physically here or digitally here; given that it's at #22 on the iTunes download chart, I'm worried--I don't know if I can take another popstar in limbo.

I've been meaning to say this for quite some time, but I keep forgetting, so finally: thanks to Advice For The Singer At Heart for linking to me; it's a great blog (that actually knows proper music terminology and all!) that you should really check out if you haven't already.

In a random note, I cannot stop listening to "Lovelight"--will I even like it once the talking over it is gone? I don't know--it might just be on repeat because I'm dead set on determining whether it's a good song or not, or maybe because I'm amused by the DJ saying "take it to the bridge" in a nice offhand reference to JT; I'll keep you posted on my good-or-not decision.

Next up: possibly a Hanson song.

matt willis